Spirit Moves

iTunes Review

Twenty-first century America boasts a rich variety of brass bands: there’s the funky swagger of New Orleans outfits like Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Rebirth Brass Band; the ecstatic trombone-heavy shout groups of the Eastern seaboard; and the exciting sounds of the Chicago-rooted Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. Now you can add trumpeter David Douglas & Brass Ecstasy — an excellent group which includes Douglas, trombonist Luis Bonilla, French horn player Vincent Chancey, tuba player Marcus Rojas, and drummer Nasheet Waits — to the list. Spirit Moves, which> draws inspiration from the legendary trumpeter Lester Bowie’s Brass Fantasy, includes eight originals, and covers of songs by Otis Redding, Hank Williams, and Rufus Wainwright. Three Douglas compositions are tributes to Bowie, Enrico Rava, and Fats Navarro. “Bowie” is a joyous pastiche with a swinging middle section, the well-arranged “Rava” displays a melodic lyricism that evokes the work of the Italian trumpeter, and the complex, mid-tempo “Fats” nicely honors the late, great bebop artist. The album closes with a lush, bluesy version of Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.”